


When Christmas Comes to Town

by boazpriestly



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mentions of Prostitution, Minor Character Death, Past Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:48:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boazpriestly/pseuds/boazpriestly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Because it's Christmas," Dean says. "And everyone deserves to be happy on Christmas."</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Christmas Comes to Town

The lights blink and twinkle through the window of the store. You stare at them for the longest time, shivering as the snow falls into you hair and on your coat. You want to press your hands to the glass to try and feel the false warmth from the bulbs, but you're dirty and the shop owner already hates your guts. So you stay still and try to keep out of the way of the people passing you on the sidewalk. 

 It's like this every year; has been since your father left you and your siblings three years ago. You remember that night like you remember your best friend sticking his hands down your pants and laughing at your semi-erection, calling you a pervert. It never leaves your head, but sometimes, if you're lucky, you don't have nightmares that leave you breathless and wondering if this time your heart will finally give out instead of just jack-hammering so hard you're almost certain it broke one of your ribs. Sometimes you get to just be a fourteen year old who loves baseball and procedural cop shows, and has a house on the outskirts of town with your remaining three brothers and your twin sister. And sometimes, every once in a while, it actually feels like home.

 Tonight is not one of those nights, though. The last couple of days before Christmas never are. But as you watch a toy train circle a real Christmas Tree (the first one you've seen up close since you were six), you realize that this is the closest you've ever come to being able to afford a gift for your sister. The thought makes you almost smile, you can feel the ten dollar bill in your pocket nearly burning a hole in your jeans. You let the smile fade when you remind yourself that the ten is all you have to put together a Christmas dinner for your family. You don't know how you're going to make it happen, but last year Gabriel had less and it was the best Christmas ever.

 You sigh heavily and shove your hands into your pocket. The clock in the store says it's almost seven at night and you've got a long walk ahead if you hope to make it to the house by nine. You turn from the shop window, readying yourself to jog through the street traffic to the grocery store across the street. But you stop before you start and stare down, dumbfounded, at the little boy in front of you who's holding a tiny train car out to you. He smiles wide, a big ol' Santa believing grin that show his missing front teeth like it's a bonus or something.

 "I saw you watching the train," the kid explains. You aren't sure what to do, exactly. You don't know him, have never seen him in your life before now. But you don't want to be rude, so you stammer a "Thanks" and take the toy.

 "Merry Christmas," the boy says with a voice still innocent and unmarred.

 Then there's an older boy at his side saying, "C'mon, Sammy" and pulling the boy down the sidewalk.

 They disappear into another store before you get the courage to call out, "You too."

 ----

 "What the hell do you mean you forgot the cranberry sauce?" Gabriel yells from the living room.

 You set the bags on the kitchen counters, letting your house keys fall onto the floor with a clang.

 "I mean, I got everything else and I ran out of money for it," you call back. There's a knot in your stomach when you think of how there was cranberry sauce last year as well as pumpkin pie and a turkey that you still swear Gabriel stole.

 "But it's the best fucking part, Cas. Goddammit, he shot my fucking head off!" You hear Gabriel slap his Playstation 2 and toss the controller to the floor. The knot in your stomach rises to your throat and you have to tell yourself not to cry. "Did you at least get marshmallows?" Gabriel asks, suddenly in the doorway.

 You nod, not trusting yourself to speak. But Gabriel's eyebrows raise the way they used to when you had that bad cold that shook the old house every time you had a coughing fit, and he's behind you before you have time to tell him you're fine. His arms wrap around your shoulders and he rustles your hair with his nose.

 "It's okay, kiddo," he says. "We'll make do without it. I know how to perform miracles, you know. Just," he kisses your head. "don't cry. Okay?"

 "But you got everything last year," you manage to say.

 He lets out a heavy breath, pushing his weight against you. "I did a lot of things I'm not proud of to get that food, Cas," he admits, almost whispering.

 The knot is back down in your stomach. You turn around to face him and hug your arms around his middle. "I'm sorry," you say against his stomach.

 "Want me to show you how to make my famous Sweet Potato Casserole?" is all Gabriel says in return. But you can hear the way his voice cracks and all you can do is nod.

 ----

 You're not supposed to be on the streets on Christmas Eve, it's a house rule. One set in place long before your father left, when your oldest brothers were still alive. But ever since you learned that Gabriel broke the rule last year to help the family, you figure he can't get too angry if you follow in his footsteps.

 You stand on the corner that used to belong to your older brother Lucifer, three dime bags in your pockets and nothing underneath your jeans. You wait for a buyer or frostbite, whichever comes first.

 You remember watching your brother work when you were little. He used to make you sit at the diner across the street where he could see you in booth by the window (and you could see him making silly faces at you, which made you laugh so that chocolate milk shot out of your nose). Most of the time he just sold drugs to the junkies, but other times he let older men take him into the back alley and fuck him. You hated those nights the most, because the men were never nice and you always had to help Lucifer walk home and up the stairs into his room that he used to share with your older brother Michael, before Michael enlisted in the Army and got stationed in Germany. You always slept next to Lucifer on those nights, holding him as he cried and called for Michael, asking over and over why Michael left him.

 Lucifer never made you swear not to do the things he did, like Gabriel does. It was always Lucifer's motto that "Life fucks us all in the end, might as well put a price tag on it and buy some nice shit." But when Lucifer's body was found in the dump, naked and bruised around his hips and throat, you swore to yourself that you wouldn't ever be him. You wouldn't let men take advantage of you until all that was left of you was an automated shell that was only good for turning over when the men ordered you to.

 You're better than that. Except for the times, like tonight, when you aren't. And it kills you that you're here, waiting for some rich pervert to want to stick his dick in your mouth. But tomorrow you and Anna are turning fifteen and you just want a few bucks to get her a gift.

 "Hey you," calls a voice from across the street. You stiffen. For a moment you're sure it's a john finally seeing you and making his way over to treat you the way he used to treat Lucifer. But you realize that the voice is higher, younger. You look up to see the older boy from the other night just staring at you.

You stare back for what seems like hours and then he's walking toward you. 

 "Aren't you the kid my brother was talking to a few days ago?" he asks once he's standing in front of you on the sidewalk.

 Yes, is what you want to say. But what comes out is, "I'm not a kid."

 "'Course not," he says, smirking. "Kids don't do what you're doing."

 You blush and duck your head, unsure if it's anger or embarrassment heating your cheeks.

 "But you are him, right?"

 You nod.

 "I knew you looked familiar," the guy says. "So what are you doing out here in the cold, besides, umm, yeah?"

 You look up. He's got the same face as his little brother, except there's a splatter of freckles over his cheeks and nose and a scar on his chin, and his eyes are like the string of emerald lights that Anna bought you on your sixth birthday.

 "I'm trying to buy my sister a present," you tell him. You don't know why you opt for the truth, especially when he's a complete stranger, but there's something about him that just pulls the words right off your tongue.

 "Oh." He shuffles his feet, scraping the bottoms of his shoes against the sidewalk. "Well, I'll buy you if you really need it," he says quietly.

 "What?"

 "Shit," he stammers, blushing hard. "I meant, I'll buy it for you if you really need it. I won't buy you. I mean, not that you aren't good enough to be- fuck, that's not what I - I mean, you're hot, but - fuck!"

 "Why would you do that?" You ask, interrupting his rambling.

 "Do - do what?"

 "Buy something for me? You don't even know me."

 He stands straighter, taller. "Because it's Christmas," he says. "And everyone deserves to he happy on Christmas."

 You don't know what to say to that except, "Thank you, uh?"

 "Dean."

 "Thank you, Dean."

 "No problem. Can we go somewhere warm, like the mall or something?" He starts walking back across the street.

 You chuckle softly and follow him. "Sure. My name's Castiel by the way."

 "Cool. Do you like burgers? I'm starving."

 "Love them. And hey, Dean?" He stops for a moment and looks back at you. "Do you really think I'm hot?"

 His blush becomes your new favorite color.

 ----

 "So wha' d'you pan on gettin' your sishter?" Dean asks around a mouthful of a cheeseburger.

You shrug. You hadn't thought about an actual gift, to be honest. You always thought that it was just a farfetched idea that would never come to be. 

 "Dude, you don't have any idea?" You shake your head. Dean wipes his mouth with a napkin and sips from his straw. "Guess I gotta tell my folks that I'll be home later than I thought." He pulls out his cell phone and starts texting.

 "What do you mean?" you question.

 "No offense, but if you're waiting for the Will of God to point you in the right direction than we better hope that we find your sister's present before all the shops close tonight."

 "Oh," you say. You poke at the plain burger on your plate, dipping and re-dipping a fry into the puddle of ketchup on the plate.

 "Speaking of your sister," Dean say setting his phone on the table. "Don't you have parents you need to check in with or something."

 "My mom passed away when I was two and my Dad left a few years ago."

 "So it's just you and your sister, then?"

 "No. I've got an older brother and two younger brothers too. There's eight of us all together, but one of my older brothers is dead and my oldest brother is stationed in some other country, I don't know where anymore."

 "Shit, man, that's rough. I'm sorry," Dean says.

 "Don't be. It's what it is, I guess." You grab the salt and shake some onto your fries. "Not much I can do about it, you know?"

 Dean nods. "How old are your little brothers," he asks, swallowing the bite in his mouth. "I don't mean to pry, it's just that I've got a little brother too and-"

 "It's okay," you tell him. You smile. "Samandiriel is four and Inias is eight."

 "Man, Cas, no offense, but you and your siblings have some weird names."

 "None taken. Our dad had an obsession with angels and named all of us after different ones," you explain.

 "So you've got a brother names Leonardo and Donatello too?" Dean says, laughing.

 "Those are Ninja Turtles, Dean. But one of my older brothers was named Raphael. She goes by Ryanne now."

 Dean throws his head back and laughs hysterically. You don't know what's so funny, but his happiness is contagious and you can't help laughing too.

 "I'm sorry," he says as he gasps for air. "It's just... you said that with such a straight face. I couldn't - I couldn't do that if I were you. I'm sorry."

 You still don't know how mentioning your sister is funny, but you realize that you really love the sound of Dean's laugh.

 "Can I borrow your phone?" you ask once Dean relearns how to breath.

 "Yeah, sure." He slides it across the table toward you and you pick it up.

 You send a quick text to Gabriel.

  _ **You:** Out with a friend, be back before midnight._

 "You ready to hit the stores?" Dean asks, tossing his napkin onto his empty plate.

 Dean's phone chirps.

  _ **Gabriel:** I'm making homemade cinnamon rolls in the morning. Your friend is welcome to join._

 You smile. "Yeah. Let's go."

 ----

 After three stores and two Orange Julius' later, you finally find it, the perfect gift for Anna.

 "You sure this is it?" Dean asks, raising an eyebrow at it.

 "Yes," you tell him. "This is it, I can feel it." You turn it over in your hands, trying to memorize the way it feels under your fingers before you give it to Anna and she never lets it out of her sight. You grin wide, letting your joy inflate in your chest. But then you find the price tag and all of it rushes out of you like you'd been punched in the gut.

 "What's wrong?" Dean grabs your shoulder, you hadn't noticed how shaky your legs had become.

 "It's a hundred and twenty-five dollars."

 "So?" Dean looks at you like you've just grown a second head.

 "I can't ask you to pay that much, Dean."

 "You aren't."

 "But Dean -"

 "But nothing," Dean stated. "I said everyone deserves to be happy on Christmas, Cas. And I just saw you look like a kid trapped in the hugest candy store in the universe. You're not an exception, okay?" He takes the gift from your hands and holds it up. "If getting this for your sister is going to make you smile like you just did two seconds ago, then I'd buy it even if it cost a thousand. You hear me?"

 You rush forward before you can tell your legs to stop and kiss Dean, hard. No one's ever been this nice to you before. You don't understand it, but you love it so much. You want it to never go away.

 You pull back and Dean smiles, crooked.

 "And if buying this for her gets you to kiss me like that, then I will buy a thousand of them at a thousand bucks each."

 You can't help it, you kiss him again.

 ----

 "Anna?" you whisper, crawling into her bed like you used before you both got too big to share a twin size bed. "Are you awake?"

 "Hmm," she groans. "Cas?" She rolls over to face you, throwing her arms over your chest.

 "I got you a present."

 "What?"

 "I got you a birthday present."

 Anna opens her eyes and blinks at you. "You got me a present?"

 "Yeah."

 "How? You didn't, did you?"

 You shake your head, knowing what she means. "No."

 "Then how? I mean, we aren't exactly a gift affording family, Cas."

 "I met an angel," you say. "A real one."

 Anna snorts. "Uh-huh, and what's his name this time?"

 "Dean."

 Anna scoots closer to you and rests her head on your chest. "Did Dean deliver you from evil?"

 "He bought me dinner too."

 "Fancy," Anna jokes.

 "You'd love him, Anna," you say. Because she would, you know it.

 "So where's this gift?" Anna asks with a yawn.

 You pass the wrapped box to her. "Open it."

 She sits up, you do the same. She tears at the paper with gusto and throws a wad in your face. You both laugh. When she opens the box she gasps.

 "Cas, how did you -" She lifts the jacket from the box and holds it up. Its olive green color looking as beautiful as it did in the store. "How did you know?"

 "I just knew," you say. "I always do."

 Anna lays the jacket back in the box then throws her arms around your neck. "I love you," she says.

 You hug her back. "I love you too, Anna."

 She lets go after a while and picks up the jacket again. "If you ever see your angel again, tell him thank you for me." She kisses your cheek. "Then marry him."

 ----

 You steal Gabriel's phone at three in the morning.

  _ **You:** Do you like cinnamon rolls?_

  _ **Dean:** Love them._

  _ **You:** How early do you open presents at your house?_

  _ **Dean:** 7am to about 10am-ish._

  _ **You:** Good. Gabriel doesn't wake up until about 10. Wanna join us for Christmas breakfast?_

  _ **Dean:** Can I bring Sammy?_

  _ **You:** Of course._

  _ **Dean:** Then tell Gabe to make a double batch._

  _ **You:** He usually does._

  _ **Dean:** Hey Cas?_

  _ **You:** Yeah?_

  _ **Dean:** Happy Birthday._

  _ **You:** Merry Christmas, Dean. _


End file.
